Organizations Help Educate Iowans on New Voter I.D. Laws

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Secretary of State Paul Pate recently launched the “Voter Ready” initiative to ensure all voters will be ready in the upcoming 2018 elections.

Beginning this year, poll workers will ask voters to provide their Iowa driver’s license or non-operator’s I.D., a U-S passport, a veterans I.D., a military I.D., or a voter I.D. card.

If you do not have any of those forms of identification, after you register, a voter I.D. card will be mailed to you for free.

However, a voter who does not have an ID will still be allowed to cast a regular ballot after signing an oath that swears their identity. Voters can also have another registered voter attest to their identity.

The voter ID law also applies when requesting an absentee ballot, the law says you need to put a voter I.D. number on that request.

The Deputy Secretary of State, Carol Olson said, this new law is not because Iowa has seen a lot of voter fraud in the past.

“This is because we want to have improved technology throughout the election process, we want to have the election process be consistent across all 17 hundred precincts across the state of Iowa, we want to make sure voters are confident their votes will count,” said Olson.

Olson stressed that no eligible voter will be turned away from the polls.

For more information on Voter I.D.s call the Secretary of State office at 1-888-SOS-VOTE.

Another part of this “Voter Ready” initiative is a customizable toolkit. The toolkit is an online portal organizations like, The League of Women Voters, will use to educate voters on the election process itself.

It includes information graphics, sample posts that can be used in social media or press releases as well as frequently asked questions that organizations can provide to their followers.

“Voters will listen to those who they are most familiar with, voters will understand the messaging that comes from the associations that they are already choosing to be a part of, to be organized with. and so those organizations can use that information and share it will their members and share it with interested citizens,” said Olson.

Organizations wanting access to this toolkit must email the Secretary of State office at sos@sos.iowa.gov.